Game Recap: Indianapolis Colts vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Of all the games this season that have tested the strength of Colts fans, this was the worst. The Indianapolis Colts lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars 51-16. Ouch. Someone get the tissues and the band-aids.

Going into the game, the Colts were trying to regain a winning season record, and beat a divisional rival to cinch a playoff spot. Jacksonville were 4-8. This should have been a pretty basic game. The story Sunday should have been, Colts continue to win in the AFC South. Instead, Jacksonville dominated. This is the worst we’ve seen the Colts play. They just fell apart.

The first quarter, really the first half, the Colts seemed to be doing okay. Despite all the injuries. Phillip Dorsett returned, the defense was putting up spots and creating turnovers. Then, Jacksonville started scoring. And scoring. And scoring. They made a 48-3 scoring run. The Colts lets this happen against one of the worst NFL teams, the Jaguars. Maybe Gregg Doyel is right, and this is rock-bottom.

But, as Chuck Pagano pointed out after the game, there were some positives about the first-half. The Colts didn’t look too bad. It all started when Matt Hasselbeck got strip-sacked for a touchdown late in the 2nd quarter. Then everything went downhills fast. The offense, the defense, special teams, coaching all failed. Where was the momentum to move forward and improve after the loss to the Steelers last week? The Colts just looked defeated. This was another week of the same thing. Bad Colts playing. Maybe they’ll get better after this game.

Really, who succeeds in the playoffs, and ultimately wins the Super Bowl, depends on who stays healthy the longest. And the Colts haven’t been able to do that. They’ve had to use their third-string QB. For a team that was supposed to come into the season as an offensive powerhouse, they’ve been anything but. If they do make it to the playoffs, maybe, and everyone is healthy, (looking at you Andrew Luck) there’s a chance they could still put up a good fight. Until, then, it’s about winning, one game at a time. And pulling yourselves together.

There are some bright spots though. Injured players will return. Pagano won’t let the team lose like this three weeks in a row. The Colts still have a shot at the playoff spot … It was a pretty nice day for December.